Fade To Black
by Solo Ensemble
Summary: Manny Ruiz's cousin takes revenge on Patrick, Robin, and Elizabeth, those he believes were responsible for Manny's death.
1. Act 1

Prompt - Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk

Cameron does not exist. Elizabeth and Lucky are divorced. Sam is long gone like the antibiotic-treated-venereal-disease that she is.

**Act One**

_ I'm in love with the world  
Through the eyes of a girl  
Who's still around the morning after _

"We're hungry."

"So feed us already."

Elizabeth Webber shook her head, amused, as her sapphire eyes darted back and forth between her good friends Robin Scorpio and Patrick Drake who now stood outside the door to her apartment like lost puppies. "I thought you two losers were on a date."

"We were," Robin answered, clasping her hands in front of her waist as Patrick tried to slip into the apartment only to be physically barred by the petite brunette. "But Emeril Lagassi here burned the entrée, so…"

"We're hungry," Patrick repeated, frowning at his little friend as he patted his stomach. "So feed us already."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and stepped aside, waving them in. "Fine – get in here. I was just about to start dinner, so at least your timing is good – if not your manners."

"See?" Robin hissed, poking her boyfriend in the arm. "I told you we'd upset her. Now she's never going to invite us over again. Not that I blame her – if I was her and I did to me what we did to her, I wouldn't let us in, either."

"Elizabeth?" The young doctor placed his hands on his girlfriend's shoulders and spun her around so that she was facing the nurse. "Low blood sugar is making Robin foam at the mouth – let's see what we can do about that, huh?"

She shook her head, covering her eyes with her hands for a moment before grinning at her friends. "I don't know why I put up with you two, but okay. What do you feel like having?"

"Whatever you're making is fine," Robin smiled, following her over to the kitchen counter. She perched herself onto a stool as Patrick grabbed the remote and flipped to a game. "We don't want to put you out or anything."

"Well, I was going to make myself a diet Coke float for dinner," the brunette replied, smirking as she eyed her freezer. "So let's see if we can't do something better than that."

"Didn't you sign up for those extra sports channels yet, Elizabeth?" Patrick asked, flopping down on the couch that had long since molded to his lean body.

"Patrick, get over here," Robin directed, pointing to the stool next to her. "You always do this – every time we come here, you drop your butt on the couch and you don't move a muscle until Elizabeth finally has to get out the roach spray. But tonight, you're actually helping for a change – so get over here."

"Isn't her Stalinesque charm downright magnetic?" the doctor drawled, reluctantly flipping off the television and joining his girlfriend at the breakfast nook. "Need a hand, Elizabeth?"

"I'm fine, Patrick," she answered, her head buried in the freezer as she rooted around for some food.

"See?" he asked, turning toward the brunette at his side. "She's fine. I'm going to go watch the Mets kick some serious-"

"No, you're not," Robin informed him, grabbing his arm and tugging him back. "You're going to sit there and you're not going to move a muscle until we say so."

"Do I at least get a toy?" he pouted, crossing his arms on the counter and pouting at the porcelain cat salt-and-pepper shakers. "I should get a toy."

"I'll get you a toy," she promised, rubbing his back in long strokes. "A shiny black race car."

"With red decals?"

"With red decals."

"…How long do I have to sit here?"

"Until Elizabeth slips rat poison in your dinner."

"Okay…Hey!"

"How do we feel about sandwiches, a salad and some beer?" Elizabeth broke in, giving up her hunt through the refrigerator. "Because that's what we're getting."

"Perfect," Patrick agreed, rolling his eyes when Robin elbowed him in the gut, effectively pushing him off the stool. "Let me help you there."

The doctor smiled happily as her boyfriend joined Elizabeth in the kitchen and helped arrange the cold cuts and prepare the salad. The nurse set it all on the counter and Patrick snagged a few beers, and they were all set. Surprisingly enough, this was how most of Patrick and Robin's dates ended up, but everyone was used to the setup by now.

"Man, I'm so beat after this week at the hospital," Robin sighed, cracking open her beer and taking a pull straight from the bottle. "I thought it would _never_ end."

"It was a _great_ week for me," Patrick informed them, taking a big bite of his sandwich as Elizabeth started on her salad. "I went into the Moran case and came out swinging. Another one for the books, ladies and gentlemen."

The girls smiled at that, well used to Patrick's frequent habit of patting himself on the back for a successful surgery.

"I'm with Robin on this one," Elizabeth got out, popping a cucumber slice into her mouth. "This week dragged on and on – and all the craziness with the Manny Ruiz case didn't help at _all_."

"Wasn't that insane?" Robin agreed, shaking her head. "The entire hospital was crawling with police officers and mobsters and bodyguards and…yeah, they never mentioned this in medical school, that's for sure."

"I'm just glad he's dead," the nurse muttered, playing with her salad. "The havoc that man's wreaked on this town…I mean, I know that we all signed on and promised to protect human lives, but even Hippocrates would have pulled Manny's plug."

Patrick let out a bark of laughter at that. "It's true. We all did what we could, but…"

"But neither one of us is crying in the locker room because we failed," his girlfriend winked. "There's one less madman in Port Charles, and that's a victory in my book any day."

"Another thing to be thankful for – the DA didn't drag our friend Jason Morgan in for the whole deal," Patrick announced, watching as Robin shook her head and smirked. "He should be getting a medal for pushing that man off the roof – if that's what really happened, and it is."

Elizabeth nodded absently. "It had to be – there's no way anyone with at least a few functioning brain cells would believe that story about the hero cop who shot Manny and got rid of him for good…especially since we found absolutely no bullet wounds on his person, only tons of internal damage."

"That's what the DA's office is so uptight about," Robin agreed. "They had the files on Manny closed and we've been told in no uncertain terms to keep our mouths shut and play along with the rouse, even though _everyone_ and their donkey knows that Jason is responsible for this."

"He went up on the roof to pursue Manny," Elizabeth murmured, shivering slightly as the memories of the madman came back to her. She, too, had been with Manny on the rooftop at General Hospital once, but it hadn't been of her choosing. Even then, Jason had come riding to her rescue. "There was no way he was going to walk away without killing him – after everything Manny's done to hurt the people that Jason cares about…"

The two doctors exchanged knowing looks as Elizabeth chased off the bad memories. Patrick was the first to speak, and the nurse wanted to hit him as he leaned over the counter toward her and nudged her arm confidingly. "And you're definitely on that list, right – the list of people that Jason cares about?"

Robin's dark eyes were twinkling as the brunette scowled and swatted her superior's arm. "Drop it, Patrick."

"Hey, I'm just saying," he exclaimed, defensively holding up his hands. "Jason was ready to tear Manny's head off with his bare hands after he took you hostage – hell, you should have seen what he did to room 213 at General Hospital when the janitor wouldn't tell him what Manny was up to."

"He was _very_ focused on getting you back, Elizabeth," Robin finally spoke up seriously, effectively countering Patrick's cavalier approach to just about everything life had to offer. "And you know, Manny didn't go after anyone as much as he did you. I think Jason knew exactly who he was protecting when he chased him onto that roof."

"Look, I get what you're saying, but you've got it all wrong," the brunette replied, brushing crumbs off her hands and rising to put her empty plate in the sink. She continued to talk, her back turned to them, as she scraped a few small shreds of lettuce off her plate into the garbage disposal. "Jason and I…we have this history together."

"Yeah, you don't have to tell me," Patrick smirked, grinning at Robin as she giggled.

"No," Elizabeth huffed, scowling at the two of them. "What I mean is, we have this history where I get into trouble and he saves me, no questions asked. It's always been that way. And, yeah, Jason would target Manny for how he targeted me, but that's how it's always been. Jason's just looking out for me, like he always does."

"Hey, Robin, I was just looking at Elizabeth's collection of travel books the other day, and you know what I learned?"

"Gee, Patrick," the doctor answered brightly, smirking at her displeased friend. "What did you learn?"

"That denial's not just a river in Egypt. Who knew?"

"Drop dead, you two."

The twosome burst into laughter as Elizabeth simmered in the kitchen, angrily slamming cabinet doors as she pulled out the ice cream bowls.

"Aw, Elizabeth, come on," Patrick cajoled, grinning at the brunette's stiff back. "We didn't mean nothing."

"We're just teasing," Robin agreed, propping her chin up on her hand as she watched her close friend. "We tease because we love."

"Oh, we love so very much," the doctor emphasized, folding his hands over his heart as Elizabeth slammed a container of strawberry ice cream down in front of him.

"I hope you both choke."

Robin giggled, pulling the top off the carton and grabbing the scoop that Elizabeth had provided. "Fine, Elizabeth, we'll keep it down."

"But it is kind of funny, you have to admit," Patrick smirked as his girlfriend began to serve them. "I mean, we only have to bring up Jason's name these days and you're jumping all over yourself telling us that you two are just friends. Kinda makes a guy wonder."

"Kinda makes a guy stupid, then."

"No need to be pissy, Elizabeth," he scolded, gratefully accepting the ice cream from Robin and cramming a spoonful into his mouth. "Hey, Robin, wouldn't they be cute together?"

The young woman glanced up from the ice cream at Elizabeth and smiled softly, tilting her head to the side. "You know, I think they would be. They'd be good for each other."

"I can picture it now," Patrick continued, oblivious to the nurse's ever darkening mood. "Jason would drop by GH to do lunch with Elizabeth and while he ate his salami, she'd patch up a nasty flesh found. They'd be so cute."

The small smirk that made Robin's lips curl faded the instant their hostess slammed her spoon down on the counter, staring at the two of them with narrowed and lethal sapphire orbs.

"Listen up, guys, because I'm only saying this once and then I don't want to hear another word about it," she growled, gripping the counter where she stood. "I don't want to hear any more jokes about me and Jason – nothing. Nothing about the former-cop's-wife, Florence-Nightingale dating the mafia boss – absolutely nothing. Because I did that once, you know."

Patrick exchanged worried glances with his girlfriend, knowing that he had gone too far this time. Normally, Elizabeth ignored his barbs but he could tell that something about what he'd just said had hit home with her in the worst possible way.

"I tried that once – I tried the danger, the life on the edge, that whole thing," she continued, running a hand through her hair in agitation. "My husband was a cop. I knew every time that he walked out the door that I might not see him down. I took some comfort in the whole good guys vs. bad guys, which shows how naïve I used to be. But in the end, that didn't matter because my husband decided to steal drugs from mobsters and get tangled up with Manny Ruiz – the same Manny Ruiz that you watched die in your OR, Patrick. The same Manny Ruiz that kidnapped me and held me hostage until Jason shot him down."

The brunette shook her head, unable to stop the words from tumbling out of her mouth one after the other, faster and faster with each breath. "I learned my lesson with Lucky. I learned it well, and I'm not going there again. The danger, the heartache, the uncertainty…who needs it? Police officers, mobsters, it's all the same – I was fooling myself by thinking that it wasn't. My life is calm and peaceful right now, and I like it this way."

Patrick and Robin remained silent as Elizabeth shook her head once more, each word slow and deliberate as she moved away from the counter. "I like it this way."

* * *

_At General Hospital…_

"NASCAR and corn dogs."

"James Bond marathon and Italian."

Patrick shook his head, not finding her terms agreeable at all but knowing that negotiation was crucial. "Okay, Italian and the Godfather trilogy. It goes together perfectly."

Robin grimaced, straightening the charts that she held in her hand before setting them down for Epiphany to file later. "Um, no – you've made me watch the scene of Mary dying five million times and I can't take it anymore. How about…NASCAR and Indian food?"

He looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. "What, you want to burn my apartment down afterwards?"

"Fine. I'll trade you the Indian food for the corn dogs if you trade your NASCAR and your ridiculous Godfather for the last season of Sex & The City."

"What?! No way!"

"Why not?! Kim Cattrall's character is naked more often than she's sober! Last time I checked, you liked naked women!"

"I _do_ like naked women. I just don't like-"

"Will you two put a cork in it?" Both doctors snapped around to see a very displeased Epiphany Johnson scowling at them from her side of the nurse's station. "Every week, it's the same thing – what are Dr. Drake and Dr. Scorpio, the centers of the universe, going to do on Friday night?"

The doctors exchanged guilty glances, knowing that they were in for it now. Elizabeth stood smirking at them from behind Epiphany's shoulder and as usual, offered absolutely no help.

"First, you try for the NASCAR knowing that it puts her to sleep," the matronly nurse continued, jabbing a finger accusingly at the tall doctor. "Then, she picks James Bond _knowing_ that to you, Sean Connery, not Roger Moore, is the real James Bond. Then you bicker about Indian food and Sex & the City. Why? We all know what's actually going to happen."

The nurse turned around, glaring at the other young nurses that were hovering near the station trying to get to their charts. "Girls? What are these two clowns going to end up doing on their Friday night date?"

"Baseball game and food at Elizabeth's."

"Hey!" the nurse in question cried, frowning at her smirking colleagues. "Shut up! We're not that predictable."

"Yes, you are," Epiphany replied, glaring at the three friends. "And I'm tired of your bickering in my hospital. You want to pull out your little day planners and coordinate, do it outside the premises, got it? Some of us are trying to work here."

"Yessum," the threesome muttered, avoiding her gaze.

"And don't say _yessum_!" Epiphany snapped, grabbing her charts and heading off down the hallway.

"No'm," they murmured in unison, quickly turning back to their work when she glared at them over her shoulder.

Patrick grinned at the girls and was about to pick up his clipboard and head off early to a consult when he noticed an amused visitor lurking nearby. "Oh – Jason. How's the arm?"

The enforcer nodded, absently touching the spot where he had been shot. "Not bad."

"Hm," the doctor nodded absently to himself as he rechecked his appointments for the day. "All thanks to our newest OR nurse, of course."

Elizabeth glared at him, shaking her head. "Stop it, Patrick, you're going to jinx me. The exam isn't until next Monday and I have no idea how prepared I am."

"You'll do fine," he assured her, ducking back to the station to quickly pull up something on the computer before he forgot. "Morgan, your next appointment's tomorrow – if everything checks out okay, you're home free. Try to show up."

Jason quirked a brow at him but let it go, already familiar with Patrick's dry wit. "Elizabeth, are you off yet?"

She nodded, stacking the last of her charts and slipping them under the counter. "Yeah, about five minutes ago, actually. Why?"

"I thought you'd want to get something to eat," he shrugged, switching the small packet that held Morgan's prescription from his left hand to his right. "How about Kelly's?"

Elizabeth needed only a few seconds to think about it, and Patrick watched as she nodded eagerly and hopped out of the nurse's station. "Sounds great. Did you bring your motorcycle?"

He smirked and stepped back as she came out. "Yeah – and no, you can't drive. Change – let's go."

"If I change real fast, _then_ can I drive?"

"No."

"What if I change _really_ fast?"

"No."

"Please?"

"Okay."

"Really?"

"No."

Robin smirked at her boyfriend as Elizabeth backed up toward the staff locker room, still chattering away with Jason who would remain lingering nearby until she emerged again. Next to her, Patrick exited out of his application and reset the monitor, wiggling his brows at her as he left for his consult.

"I don't know what we've been so worked up about," he feigned as she grinned back. "Clearly, there's _nothing_ there."

His girlfriend laughed and shook her head, remembering their unfinished conversation. "Hey, so we never decided what we were gonna do Friday night."

"I don't know," Patrick shrugged, scratching the back of his head. "Baseball and dinner at Elizabeth's?"

"Sounds good," Robin agreed, pressing a quick kiss to his lips before they headed their separate ways.

« _Last Edit:_ Mar 1, 2008, 5:27pm by Solo Ensemble »


	2. Act 2

Prompt - Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk

**Act Two**

_ We broke up a month ago  
And I grew up  
I didn't know I'd be around the morning after _

"I appreciate this, Dr. Winters," Jason coughed awkwardly, his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his blue jeans as he walked toward the nurse's station with Lainey. "If you or Sonny need anything regarding his therapy…I'll do what I can."

"It's good to know that Sonny's surrounded by people that care about him in this rough time," Lainey smiled, nodding at the enforcer. "I appreciate your help, Jason, and I'll let you know if I need to take you up on your offer. See you around."

Jason nodded as the psychiatrist walked past the nurse's station, waving at Elizabeth before ducking down the hall to the staff lounge for a quick cup of coffee before her next session in five minutes.

"Hey, you," Elizabeth greeted him, smiling briefly in his direction before bending down to root for a few charts that she had misplaced earlier. "What brings you by?"

"I wanted to talk to Lainey about Sonny's sessions," he replied, crossing his arms over the counter. "Just to see if there was anything he needed that he didn't want to say."

"That was nice of you," she answered with a smile, entering a few numbers into the chart she had pulled up on the monitor. "How's Morgan feeling?"

"Better," Jason responded immediately. "He was driving Carly crazy today."

"Yeah, he's _definitely_ feeling better then," she laughed, moving aside as Patrick entered the nurse's station and slipped a few binders under the counter.

"Elizabeth," he smiled before tipping his head at the enforcer. "Jason. How's the arm?"

"Fine."

"Good," the doctor answered briskly, pointedly elbowing the petite nurse out of the way so that he could pull up something on the screen. Elizabeth squawked in protest and shoved Patrick's shoulder, frowning darkly at his back when he ignored her completely.

But the good doctor didn't have long to click away on the keyboard because his pager soon buzzed and he pulled back to take a look. Jason and Elizabeth exchanged curious glances when Patrick let out a low hiss and then immediately looked up. The brunette nurse at his side was the first person he saw a flicker of relief raced through his dark eyes.

"That was Dr. Marsh," he informed her, clicking out of his application. "We just had a patient come in with severe cranial hemorrhaging and an internal damage. She needs a neurosurgeon to assist and an OR nurse. You want in?"

"Yeah," she nodded, straightening her charts and quickly tucking them under the shelf for Epiphany to go through later. Jason moved out of the way as the young woman ducked out of the nurse's station followed quickly by the doctor. "Let's go."

"Hold on," Patrick murmured, squinting at his pager. "What's she trying to…"

Jason frowned when Elizabeth leaned closer, not liking the way Patrick hesitated.

"What is it?"

"Oh, shit."

"What?"

"Shit."

"Okay, we've covered that already," Elizabeth huffed, already pulling her chocolate curls up into a bun. "What's Dr. Marsh saying?"

"…The patient is Esteban Ruiz."

"Who?"

Jason cursed under his breath at the same time that Patrick met Elizabeth's confused gaze. "Esteban _Ruiz_."

"As in…" The brunette gripped the edge of the counter, her lips parting. "Manny Ruiz?"

The enforcer nodded awkwardly, his lips pursed into a thin red line. "His cousin."

"Cousin?" Patrick frowned at the other man, processing the information. "Out for blood?"

"Could be," Jason replied. "He came to town about two weeks ago and has been laying low. No one knows for sure what he's up to."

"So Manny Ruiz's cousin is in our operating room," Elizabeth sighed, quirking a brow at her colleague. "Figures, huh?"

"Yeah," he agreed, slipping his pager back onto his belt. "You still want to do this?"

Elizabeth pursed her lips together, her eyes meeting Jason's for a split second before she turned shakily back to her friend. "…Yeah. I made a promise to help save lives. I'm ready if you are."

"Okay, let's go," Patrick replied quietly, ushering her toward the locker room. "Man, this is shaping up to be another _great_ week, huh?"

* * *

_In the OR…_

Elizabeth kept a careful eye on the BP monitor as Dr. Marsh directed her on how to handle the bleed. Esteban Ruiz had suffered a severe abdominal wound and there was a small object lodged inside the body cavity. Dr. Marsh, a new transfer from Johns Hopkins downstate, worked quickly and diligently to stabilize the patient and extract the object while Patrick handled the hemorrhage.

The brunette did everything her presiding surgeon asked and their work proceeded smoothly. Another intern had been present at Patrick's side but the procedure was delicate and the doctor had decided midway through surgery that the extra set of hands wasn't needed.

"Dr. Marsh, how's it looking?"

The doctor looked up from her work, raising her voice to speak over Patrick's Mendelssohn CD. "It's difficult to isolate the object, Dr. Drake. It's lodged too close to the vital organs. How's the bleed?"

"Sensitive," he replied dryly. "It'll take some more work."

The conversation lagged off as the two surgeons resumed working. Dr. Marsh would periodically issue orders that Elizabeth carried through immediately, and the young nurse was beginning to think they might actually be able to remove the black device without letting their patient bleed out on the table.

"BP stable," she murmured, glancing quickly at the machine. "Dr. Marsh-"

She was cut off by a sharp gasp, and Elizabeth gaped at the older woman as she stared down in horror at the gaping wound. Patrick looked over as well and was about to ask what happened when Dr. Marsh backed up a few steps, removed her gloves, and fairly fled from the room.

Elizabeth's jaw dropped as she stared at the swinging doors, but the beep of the monitor quickly brought her back. The patient's blood pressure was dropping and she had to move quickly if she was going to keep him.

Patrick cursed under his breath as Elizabeth took over the wound and within a few seconds she managed to stabilize the patient. "What the _hell_ was that?"

"I-I have no idea," the nurse got out, completely bewildered. "She…she just _left_. Why did she leave?"

"I'm reporting her as soon as we get out of here," he muttered. "Hold the bleed, Elizabeth, and then I want you to dial out for assistance. We need another doctor in here as soon as possible."

"Okay," she murmured, adjusting the light and returning to her patient. "I'll do that…"

They worked a few more minutes in silence before the doctor looked up at his nurse, his dark eyes laced with concern. "Elizabeth?"

"It's real bad, Patrick," she muttered in reply, her brows furrowed as she continued to work. "I don't know if I can hold it off. I-I might just have to keep working and see if I can dislodge it."

A heavy silence followed before the doctor spoke up once more. "Do you know what you're doing?"

"Y-Yeah, I do."

"This is unacceptable," Patrick grumbled to himself. "I've _never_ seen this happen anywhere. I'm going to have a talk with Alan as soon as we get out of here. He has to know what goes on in his hospital. Unbelievable."

The classical music floated through the large OR as the two friends resumed working, and it was a long moment before Elizabeth let out a soft gasp and almost dropped her tools.

"…Patrick?"

"Yeah?" he asked immediately, looking up from the patient. "Did you get it out? What is it?"

Her horrified sapphire orbs met his and for a moment, Elizabeth could barely get the words out. "It's…a bomb."


	3. Act 3

Prompt - Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk

**Act Three**

_ It's always been, wait and see  
A happy day and then you pay  
I feel like shit the morning after _

"Don't touch it."

"But-"

"No." Patrick shook his head firmly, leaving no room for argument. "Elizabeth, we're not professionally trained members of the bomb squad. Don't touch that device."

"What do I do?"

"…Can you hold the bleed? We need to get a line through to the rest of the staff."

"…I-I can try."

"Good. Do it."

Patrick's grim chestnut eyes lingered on his young friend as she closed her eyes briefly, sending up a silent prayer, then got back to work to prevent the patient from bleeding out on the table. He had always had some good OR experiences; there had been some great OR experiences; there had even been some exceptionally memorable OR experiences that were made to be in the books. This one, however, beat them all hands down.

* * *

"…I got it."

"You got it?"

"I think so."

"What are the vitals?"

"…Holding steady."

"Go."

She wasted no more time. Whipping off her gloves, Elizabeth tore off her surgical mask and raced toward the telephone mounted on the far wall of the operating wall. She hit the speed-dial to the nurse's center on their floor, nibbling her lip as she glanced back at Patrick who remained at the operating table hard at work.

At the nurse's station, Jason was currently engaged in conversation with the psychiatrist. She had found him after her appointment had wrapped up and confessed that there were a few things she'd like to discuss with him before Sonny's next session.

Jason had agreed and was currently standing by exchanging small talk with her as the psychiatrist checked her schedule for the day for the fiftieth time while discussing one of her newer patients with Alan Quartermaine.

"His demands are rather unconventional but I'll leave the decision up to you," Alan was saying as Lainey clicked out of her application. "Whatever you decide, the hospital will support you."

"I appreciate that, Doctor Quartermaine," she smiled gratefully, her eyes briefly connecting with Jason's to let him know they were almost finished here. "It means a lot to know that you're backing me up. I'll come to you with my decision by the end of the week."

"That's all I ask," he nodded, barely noticing the young nurse that suddenly appeared at his side with a stricken look on her face. "And if you could keep-"

"Doctor Quartermaine."

Alan turned abruptly to look over his shoulder at the young woman, mildly irritated that she had interrupted. "Yes, what is it?"

The nurse's eyes were wide and unblinking as she hesitantly extended the phone receiver to the chief of staff. "Sir, it's…it's Nurse Webber from Doctor Drake's OR."

Jason managed to catch that and lingered nearby with Lainey, who also paused to hear the news. Alan frowned, reaching out for the receiver. "And? What's she saying?"

The nurse looked as if she were about to faint, but she pulled herself together long enough to deliver the grim news. "Sir, they've issued a code black on the fourth floor."

Jason's eyes darted from his father to the psychiatrist as Lainey gasped sharply, her saucer-like eyes flying instantly to Alan. "Code black? What's code black?"

Alan balked at the nurse, unable to believe what he was hearing. "A-Are you _sure_?"

She nodded as he lifted the receiver hastily to his ear. "That's what she said, sir."

"Lainey." Jason frowned at the suddenly pale psychiatrist, not liking what he was seeing. "What's a code black?"

"Elizabeth. Patrick." His father's tense voice cut through the dull hum of the hospital as he gripped the phone tightly. "Is there a bomb in my hospital?"

* * *

"I need the entire wing evacuated. I don't care what's going on in the other OR's – everyone moves. OR 4 is located right along the oxygen vein that spans the wing. If it blows, the entire wing is gone."

"Sir, the ORs are all currently empty." Another nurse glanced up hesitantly at her boss, not sure how to phrase the next part. "All but one."

"Whose?"

"…Doctor Scorpio's."

Lainey let out a muffled whimper as Jason gripped the edge of the counter. He still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Elizabeth was trapped in an operating room with an explosive device, but he cursed himself nevertheless for not having known that Esteban Ruiz would pull something like this.

"Alan."

His father didn't hear him as he scrubbed a hand over his face. "Get someone over there _now_. Tell her she has to move. She's got to close the patient and get out of there."

The nurse nodded and pulled the phone over to her side of the station, immediately punching in the code to Robin's operating room. Monica appeared down the hallway with a few orderlies in tow and immediately made her way to her husband's side.

"Alan, I just heard," she gasped, partly out of breath. "Is it true?"

"Code black in OR 4," he nodded grimly. "Dr. Marsh and Patrick."

"We've got to get them out," Monica exclaimed. "Dr. Marsh has _children_, Alan, young ones. We-"

"Doctor Marsh is no longer in the OR," her husband informed her quietly.

The doctor gaped up at him. "What…Are you saying-"

"She left," Alan finished. "The only ones in there are Patrick and Elizabeth. They're still working – we've got them on the line right now."

Monica paled, her wide eyes connecting with those of her son. "Patrick and Eliz…Alan, that could be Emily in there! Those two don't belong there – they're young and-"

"And we're doing our best to get them out," Alan assured her. "The bomb squad is on their way and until then, the best we can do is talk Patrick and Elizabeth through this."

"Alan." This time, the chief of staff actually heard his son's voice and looked over at the young mobster. "I…I need to talk to them."

His dark brows furrowed. "Jason? For what?"

"I just…I need to talk to them now."

"Let him, Alan," Monica instructed him quietly as her husband punched the line into the OR. "Go ahead, Jason."

"Elizabeth?" His voice was tense and tightly drawn as Jason held the speakerphone button. "Elizabeth, Patrick, are you there?"

_"We're here,"_ came the reply from the male doctor. _"Who is this?"_

_"Jason?"_ Elizabeth's worried voice met his ears and Jason's heart constricted in his throat. _"Jason, where are you? Please, don't tell me you're on the fourth floor."_

"Elizabeth-"

_"You have to leave!"_ Her frantic voice broke slightly as it came through the speaker. _"Get out – get to somewhere safe! No one should be in this area!"_

"We're not leaving, Elizabeth," Alan told her quietly as Monica hovered near him. "Doctor Quartermaine and I are not leaving you two in there. How's it looking now?"

_"The wound is holding steady – constant BP. He's not in any danger of bleeding out yet."_

"Good work. Patrick?"

_"Not so hot."_

"What's happening?"

_"There's a terrible hemorrhage that I can't work around. It's going to take some time – time I don't have because I'll lose him before long if I keep this up."_

_"Is the bomb squad coming, Dr. Quartermaine?"_

"Yes, dear," Monica got out, holding her husband's hand tightly under the counter as two police officers ushered Lainey away to safety. "They're coming. They'll be here soon."

Two of the interns from Robin's OR emerged into the main corridors, bewildered, and were immediately seized by the police who ushered them away from the danger zone. Static made the line break for a moment but then Patrick's voice cut through once more.

_"Alan, check something for me. Pull up the OR schedule for today."_

Monica was on it before her husband could move, and Jason watched as she expertly pulled up the application on the monitor. "Got it. What do you want, Patrick?"

_"I need you to see the documentation on the Ruiz case."_

"Brought in at 2:42 pm, west ambulance dock," Monica read aloud. "Severe cranial hemorrhage, abdominal wound. Doctor Marsh was the first to get to him."

_"What was Robin doing then?"_

The doctor blinked, not sure what he meant by that. "Robin?"

_"Monica – what was Robin doing at 2:42 pm?"_

She swallowed roughly at his hard tone and quickly pulled up the file, knowing that Patrick wouldn't have asked if it wasn't important. "She…Oh, here. She had just taken over OR 1 with the Mitchell case."

_"Give me the play-by-play."_

Alan frowned as his wife obliged the young man's request. "Two-thirty-one, Dr. Marsh's OR 1 available; Sanchez moved to ICU. Two-thirty-four, Mitchell case came in through west ambulance dock. Staff was waiting and Dr. Scorpio was scrubbed in and ready when he was brought to the OR, even though her shift didn't start until two-forty. Two-forty-two, Ruiz case brought in through west ambulance dock. Dr. Marsh available and scrubbed into OR 4 where she had Dr. Drake paged with a request for an OR nurse to assist."

_"…You were right."_

Jason frowned when he heard Elizabeth's soft voice. "Right about what? Elizabeth?"

_"…I said we had our very own suicide bomber in General Hospital."_

The enforcer looked up at his father, feeling himself go entirely numb as it began to dawn on him just what Patrick was talking about. Robin chose that time to emerge from the hallway still dressed in her scrubs, and the petite brunette resisted the officers that immediately made to grab her and instead darted over to the nurse's station.

"What the hell's going-"

_"We should have known it from the beginning. It was the perfect set-up."_

Her boyfriend's voice on the speakerphone made her stop and Robin gaped down at the set. "Is that…Patrick? What's going on? They said there was a code-"

_"It wasn't supposed to be Dr. Marsh. It was supposed to be Dr. Scorpio. Dr. Scorpio, Dr. Drake, and Nurse Webber were supposed to be in this operating room when Esteban Ruiz was brought in. He had it timed perfectly."_

Robin felt herself growing weak in the knees as she gripped the counter and stared up at Alan. "What is going on?"

He pursed his lips at her tightly drawn voice. "There's a code black in OR 4. Patrick and Elizabeth are trapped there."

Jason watched as the blood drained out of his ex-girlfriend's face. "And…and he said…Ruiz?"

Alan closed his eyes at her breathless question. "Esteban Ruiz, the patient. Jason tells us he's a cousin of Manny Ruiz. Patrick believes it to be a suicide bombing."

_"The three people that couldn't save his cousin."_ The doctor laughed and they heard Elizabeth mutter something to him. _"The same three people that let Manny die – we were all supposed to be in this operating room, and he was supposed to blow us to Kingdom Come."_

Jason was the first to notice Robin sinking and the enforcer lunged quickly to grab her before she hit the floor.

"Oh, my God," she murmured, her hand hovering over her mouth. "Oh, my God – Patrick! I have to go to him! He has to get out!"

"Jason, hold her," Alan instructed as the younger man ushered the doctor into the nurse's station where Monica instantly took her arm. "Robin, no one's going into that wing. You should follow the officers out and wait there with the others until the bomb squad-"

"No." She was shaking her head as firmly as she could, her dark chestnut eyes hard and resolute. "No – No, I c-can't leave them. I'm staying."

* * *

"Doug Garrett, Bomb Squad." The dark-haired agent introduced himself and then moved on with little preamble as his men fanned out into the hospital. "We need to know where the explosive is located."

"Operating room four, east wing," Alan informed him as another agent appeared at Jason's side.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to-"

"I'm not going anywhere," the enforcer growled, roughly pulling out of the man's grasp.

"Let him stay," Alan broke in quietly. "It's his choice. The OR room is located down this hallway on your left. I have two of my staff members in there – Doctor Patrick Drake, a neurosurgeon, and Nurse Elizabeth Webber."

The agent nodded and readied his equipment as his men made their move. "We're going to need x-rays of the area so that we know what we're dealing with – we might even need to inspect the patient."

"My staff will assist you in any way possible-"

_"Alan."_

The chief's eyes widened and he instantly punched the line into OR 4 as Agent Garrett hovered nearby. "Patrick – what is it? What's happening?"

_"I'm not sure how, but…we set it off. We didn't touch it, but I guess it was hard-wired. It's counting down to detonation."_

The agent let out a hissing breath as the blonde-haired young man at his side covered his mouth with his hand. "How long, Doctor?"

_"…Five minutes and counting 'til she blows and takes us with her."_


	4. Act 4

Prompt - Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk

**Act Four**

_ But now I feel changed around  
And instead of falling down  
I'm standing up the morning after _

"And…I'm in the clear." Patrick's hands flew as he removed his light and probe and began to replace the suture atop Esteban Ruiz's cranial cavity. "And not a second too soon, huh?"

"Tell me about it," Elizabeth muttered as she took over stitching up the cut. During the past horrific fifteen minutes, she had no choice but to assist Patrick as he dealt with the hemorrhage and the cranial edema, and they were finally done.

Agent Garrett from the bomb squad chose that moment to reenter the operating room with X-rays in hand, and Elizabeth knew from the way Patrick pursed his lips as they worked that the young doctor was doing his best to stifle his instincts regarding contaminated ORs.

"Three-forty-seven left," he announced as the doctor and nurse moved to the patient's flank. "That's how long we have til she detonates. The images are good and we at least have an idea of what we're working with."

Patrick and Elizabeth nodded, waiting for instruction as two other agents appeared at Garrett's side.

"Now." His dark green eyes were lethally calm as he looked at the two physicians. "You are going to do exactly what I tell you as I tell you. No quick movements, no freak-outs, no surprises. If either one of you is having second thoughts, say so now and get out. But I have to tell you, we'll all be much safer if we have two extra sets of hands here."

Patrick glanced at Elizabeth and then back at the agent. "We made it this far; we'll see it through. Just tell us what we need to do to get this thing out of here."

"Grasp it from the sides," the agent instructed as Elizabeth inserted the clamp. "Take a minute to steady your hand – keep it perfectly level as you bring it up."

The nurse took a deep breath and did as she was told. Patrick kept his hands wrapped around her wrist to keep her grip steady and they moved together, lifting the object from Esteban Ruiz's thoracic cavity with painstaking care.

The vitals dropped as soon as the device was removed, and Patrick let go of Elizabeth's hand and picked up his tools, immediately going to work on the bleed. The brunette moved slowly, carefully, and Agent Garrett helped her set the device down in the sealed container.

His agents moved in almost immediately as soon as the brunette let go of the clamp, setting it down on the tray as if it burned at her touch. The men closed the container and hefted it carefully, already moving out of the operating room and into the hallway as Patrick worked feverishly.

With Elizabeth's help, they were able to stabilize the patient and stitch him up in under a minute. Patrick glanced at the clock as the monitor beeped steadily, whipping off his gloves. He pulled his mask down and scrubbed a hand over his face, wiping away the sweat.

Elizabeth's heart pounded painfully in her chest, slamming up against her rib cage as her gaze also flew to the clock. The hallway was quiet – entirely still – and the doctors exchanged uneasy glances before simultaneously facing toward the door leading out.

They hadn't moved a muscle when the device detonated outside, irrevocably shattering the eerie calm.

The blast echoed through the building, sending veritable shockwaves through the floor. Toward the center of the establishment, right around the nurse's station, they felt the mighty tremors in the floor.

Robin stumbled from the strength of the blast and tripped over her feet, falling on her hands on the cool floor. Jason fell back against the counter, accidentally knocking his mother back as well. But the young man's back had no sooner hit the hard edge than he was pushing himself away, already trying to duck out of the nurse's station and head into the destroyed wing.

Alan turned his eyes away from the officers that grabbed his raging son and restrained him forcefully, and he frantically pressed the call button on the phone set, knowing all the while for it to be futile. "Patrick! Elizabeth! Can you hear me?"

Monica was as pale as a sheet when he finally shook his head. "It's no good. Everything's got to be knocked out over there."

Within moments, the elevator doors flew open and a new team from the bomb squad filed into the hospital. The officers that restrained Jason were momentarily distracted but quickly grabbed the young man when he tried to make a break for it.

"Mom! Dad!"

Alan's startled eyes found his trembling daughter and a stricken Epiphany as they darted up the stairwell, entirely out of breath. The doors swung open again and Noah Drake ran out, his dark hair in his eyes as he looked around frantically.

"Emily, what are you doing-"

"Alan," the tall doctor interrupted, quickly taking up the young nurse's side. "Where's my son? Where's Patrick?"

"We're trying to find out," the Chief of Staff responded gently, his own heart constricting in his chest at the heartbreak in Noah's eyes. If Jason hadn't lost his memory and had gone on to be a doctor, he might be placed in an extraordinary situation like this one, as well, and the thought shocked Alan to his core.

_"McClarren,"_ came a rusty voice over the static-filled transistor in one of the agents' hands. _"We're clear."_

"What's it look like?" the man who could only be McClarren asked urgently as the small group listened eagerly.

_"Two agents dead, three including Garrett injured. It's a mess."_

Jason shoved his way up to the agent, ignoring the protests of the officers. "What about the doctors?"

_"Injured. We're sending them up, but we need back-up stat. Garrett's hurt bad – we can't tell how extensive the damage is."_

"We're on it," Noah announced quietly, exchanging looks with Alan as the older man nodded and pushed his way out of the nurse's station.

"Monica, handle the agents," he directed quietly as he followed his colleague to assist. "If they need access to anything, give it to them. Make sure everything's taken care of."

"I'll do it," the doctor nodded instantly, turning around when she was instantly approached by two bomb squad technicians needing access to the restricted passages on the other end of the wing.

"We're coming, too," Emily announced, rushing past the officers with Epiphany on her heels. The nurses scrambled around the agents and disappeared down the hallway, prepared to scrub in once they saw how bad the situation was.

"I'm going to need a line through to the damaged wing," Monica directed a young agent. "Set up any means of communication you can and we'll work from there."

"Doctor, the water vein burst," McClarren informed her, striding up to the desk with his transistor in hand. "They need the water shut off immediately because we're seeing minor flooding."

Monica nodded and immediately placed a call to the basement. "I'll have someone on it immediately. Tell them to let me know when the water turns off."

She glanced worriedly down the hallway that her husband and daughter had just disappeared down, and Jason shoved his way to her side just in time for them both to see two darkened figures approaching from the corridor.

Patrick Drake's tall form slumped against Elizabeth's much smaller one as she kept him upright. The two were unassisted as they dragged themselves into the main corridor, and Robin let out a half-sigh, half-wail of immense relief as she broke away from the officers and raced toward her boyfriend and friend.

Jason followed immediately, supporting Elizabeth's weight as Robin helped Patrick lean against the nurse's counter. The brunette wrapped her arms around his waist and clung to him, but her dark eyes remained trained on her colleague.

Robin's hands moved swiftly but thoroughly as she inspected the doctor, her brows furrowed in concentration. "What happened? Tell me what happened in there!"

"When the bomb detonated, the entire wall was knocked out," Patrick got out, wincing when he tried to sit. Thinking better of it, he straightened up and balanced his weight against the counter of the nurse's station. "I fell on my side – hard."

"He knocked me out of the way," Elizabeth clarified quietly, wincing as an officer near her began barking out orders in a loud voice. "Then something – drywall, plaster? I don't know what – fell on his leg. He hurt his wrist, too."

"We'll get that checked out right away," Robin nodded, all business now. "Monica, we're going to go get some X-rays done."

"I'll record it," she nodded as Robin waved over two orderlies that had just floated back up to the floor. "Go, go – Elizabeth, we're going to need you to get checked out, too."

Jason's grip on her waist tightened when he saw the reluctance in the young nurse's eyes. "Doctor Quartermaine, I really don't think that's necessary. Patrick knocked me out of the way before anything could hit me. I've just got a couple bruises, really – I'm fine."

"I'd like to take her home now, Monica, if that's okay," Jason interjected quietly, meeting his mother's surprised blue eyes directly and without flinching.

The doctor didn't like it, but there wasn't much she could do. "Okay, Elizabeth, but I want you back here if you feel that _anything's_ wrong. Also…Mac might be around with some questions for you tomorrow."

"I'll deal with it tomorrow," she repeated quietly, shrinking into Jason's side. "Thanks, Monica, I appreciate it."

The older woman sighed as she watched Jason gently lead the young woman away toward the elevators, moving slowly as the rest of the staff began to file onto the floor. Her soft blue eyes rested on her son's strong back as he held the elevator for Elizabeth and helped her on, holding her up as the doors slowly closed on them.

Across the other side of the nurse's station, Robin had already helped Patrick onto a gurney, much to his displeasure, and was responding to his irritated whining in a soothing voice as she gently stroked his hair.

The speakerphone crackled just then, breaking her out of her trance, and Monica glanced down at it just as she heard her husband's voice.

_"The water was just turned off. The electricity's shot here, the hallways are flooded, and two of the walls are knocked out. The OR's a mess, but…that's about it. It looks like we made it out okay."_


	5. Act 5

Prompt - Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk

**Act Five**

_ Situations get fucked up  
And turned around sooner or later  
I can be another fool  
Or the exception to the rule  
You tell me  
The morning after _

Title: Say Yes  
Artist: Eliot Smith

She hadn't said a word while he helped her onto his motorcycle. Even an exuberant scream when he took a turn a little faster than he should have proved too much to hope for. Her helmet was strapped tightly around her ears, her eyes squeezed closed as she rested her forehead against his shoulder, not even bothering to look up at the passing landscape.

He didn't blame her.

Not a word passed between them when he came to a stop in front of her apartment on Birch Street. He took her helmet from her and wordlessly followed her up the stairs, unable to stay more than one step behind. She didn't look at him as she slipped her key into her lock, wincing slightly when it stuck the way it always did. One good push with her heel planted on the floor did the trick as it always did, and they were in.

He closed and locked the door behind them, worried even though he had his men placed around the apartment should his enemies – or hers, Robin's and Patrick's, rather – attempt a last ditch effort at putting Plan B into motion.

But she wasn't watching. Elizabeth didn't bother to turn on the lights as she headed straight for her bedroom, already tugging up the scrub top that she had left the hospital in. It sailed over her head and hit the floor, revealing a tight black cotton camisole underneath.

He flipped on the lamp in the living room, not wanting the entire apartment to be plunged in darkness, and almost tripped on her discarded sneakers when he turned around. She was in the bathroom already as he bent and picked the shoes up, setting them down by the door where they wouldn't get in anybody's way.

Jason picked up her scrub top, finding her scrub bottoms on the floor at the threshold to her bedroom. His concern for her well-being outweighed the slight awkwardness that set in over her condition of undress, and Jason simply picked up the second item and followed her into the bedroom. The ripped, grimy scrubs were wadded up into a tight ball and pitched into her wastebasket and Jason turned around, trying to find her slight frame in the soft darkness.

She was in the bathroom and had turned on only the lower-watt vanity lights. Jason came to an instant halt three feet away from the door that she had left slightly ajar. If she knew he was watching, she didn't pay any attention. Clothed only in a black bra and matching cotton bikini briefs, Elizabeth pulled her dirty hair down from her messy ponytail and flicked the band away, not noticing that it landed on the floor next to her discarded camisole and balled-up socks.

The shower was already on, filling the small bathroom with thick mist and the young woman stepped silently into the stall without even bothering to take off her undergarments. Jason let out a breath and looked around the simply decorated bedroom. Concern dictated that he follow her in there to make sure she was all right, but at the same time he didn't want to intrude.

He knew it was a wise decision on his part when he saw her slender arm appear from behind the glass door to drop two soggy black scraps of cotton to the bathmat. With only a thin translucent plate separating him from her wet, naked form, he knew he wouldn't last long and he didn't want to do anything tonight that she wasn't expecting from him.

The small apartment stood deathly still around him, as if holding its breath as it waited for its owner to emerge clean and unharmed. Jason let out a sigh and turned, trying to figure out what he could do to help her while he waited.

He left the lights off; something told him she would want it that way. Instead, he pulled back the white curtains in favor of the natural glow of the moon. Her bed was made but she had left various articles of clothing on it: a pair of streaked, discolored and ripped blue jeans, a few fitted camisoles, an odd sock or two. He cleared the items off and set them on the overstuffed lounge chair in the corner.

The rest of the room was uncluttered, offering him little to do with his hands while he waited. The dresser, unlike those of most of the women he had known, was entirely bare save the month's paid electricity bill and a stick of deodorant. Her shelves were neatly lined with books and nothing else – not even the odd stuffed animal or so that he knew she had possessed at one point or another. If she owned makeup – which she had to – he didn't see it. It was clear to him that Elizabeth Webber's bedroom was for one purpose and one purpose only: it served as a peaceful but structured retreat for her when the rest of the world got too cluttered and disorganized.

He thought about putting on a pot of coffee or calling out for some food, but soon decided against it. She didn't appear to want to eat. In fact, she was still hard at work in the bathroom trying to remove the last traces of grime and debris that had showered down on her and Patrick after the blast.

He had never liked the arrogant Doctor Drake, or Dr. McEverything as the female staff at General Hospital called him. He found the man condescending, self-important, and personally unpleasant.

But at the moment, Patrick Drake was nothing short of a hero for the way in which he had protected Elizabeth. He was willing to dismiss every unfavorable thought he'd ever had about the man in simple gratitude of what he did. There was no telling how badly Elizabeth could have been hurt if he hadn't shielded her from the damage. And besides that, he knew that the nurse genuinely admired and liked the doctor, and that his presence in the same OR as her and the ticking bomb played a great deal in keeping her sane throughout the whole ordeal.

Jason glanced at the bathroom door and then slowly stepped out into the living room, pulling his phone from his pocket as he secured the bedroom door behind himself. Letting out a heavy breath, he unsurely dialed the number he had once known so well and held his breath as he waited for her to pick up.

_"Hello?"_

"Robin." His voice was low in the stillness of the dimly lit apartment as if he didn't want to disturb the precarious force that kept everything from crashing down within the four walls. "Is this a bad time?"

_"J-Jason. No, no, not at all."_ She was surprised to hear his voice; that much was clear from her own. _"Actually, it's a pretty good time. I just finished up with Patrick's x-rays."_

"And?"

_"He had a bad gash on his leg, which we cleaned up and bandaged right away but he also sprained his wrist and now he's whining because Alan won't let him do anything but consults and Mickey-Mouse examinations for the next four weeks."_

Jason smirked at the incorrigible doctor's obstinate nature when it came to his profession. "I-I'm glad he's doing good. That's…good."

_"Yeah, well, I certainly think so,"_ his ex-girlfriend laughed in reply. _"He'll be back to his normal unbearable self before long. So, tell me…how's Elizabeth doing? Is she okay? I wanted to see her but everything just happened all at once and-"_

"Elizabeth's…okay," he interrupted quietly. "I think she's going to be okay."

_"She wasn't hurt, was she?"_

"No – Patrick took the worst of it, from what I can tell."

_"What's she doing right now?"_

"Right now?" He glanced at the closed door to the bedroom. "She's in the bathroom."

_"Has she…has she said anything? About any of it?"_

"No."

He heard her let out a soft sigh on the other end. _"Yeah, Patrick's the same way. He wants to talk about anything but what happened in the OR. Currently…hold on…yeah, he's still whining about how the cushions at his place still reek from the one time we ordered Indian food."_

Jason didn't know what to say to that, so he said nothing and sure enough, Robin continued after a breath. _"Listen, I just wanted to give you a quick heads-up…Patrick's not doing too well with loud noises right now. His balance is off-center, too. I heard one of the bomb squad guys talking to Monica and they said the bomb sent off a weird pulse kind of thing-"_

"A weird pulse kind of thing?"

_"Shut up!"_ She could hear the laughter in his voice and it irritated her because it _should_ have irritated her but it didn't._ "Hey, I'm just a doctor, okay? Anyway, we're getting ready to leave the hospital now and I'm going to try to sneak him out the back way. He gets a terrible headache when someone speaks loudly next to him, so…I don't know if Elizabeth's going through the same thing, but I thought I'd tell you anyway."_

"Thanks."

_"I gotta go now, okay? So I guess I'll talk to you later-"_

"One more thing." He glanced outside, unsure of how she would take the news. "I…I had some of my men placed at his apartment and yours. There should be a black car parked outside and maybe one or two men in the lobby. They know not to get in the way or call any attention to themselves, but they're there…just in case. I wanted to let you know that."

There was a long pause on the other end. _"…Oh. Oh, okay. Um, thanks, Jason. We appreciate that."_

"It's not a problem."

_"…Can I ask you a question? If you can't answer, I get that, but…"_

"What?"

_"Do you think there'll be any more trouble with – with Manny's family?"_ She held her breath, waiting for his answer but continued on hesitantly when she didn't hear one. _"I mean, it's obvious now that he had the bomb planted inside him and entered GH as a suicide bomber. He wanted to take me, Patrick and Elizabeth out and he almost did it. He's still unconscious, hand-cuffed to his bed and under police watch, but…is there anything else we have to worry about?"_

He licked his lips, formulating an answer. If there was something else to worry about, he would be the one to worry and _he_ would be the one to take care of it. "No."

_"O-Okay. Okay, thanks, Jason, thanks so much. Tell Elizabeth we love her and that we'll see her as soon as we can. Bye."_

Jason clicked his phone off and slipped it back into the pocket of his jacket. He remained standing in the middle of the living room for a long moment, letting the events of the night sink in. Patrick had been right in his initial assumptions – Esteban Ruiz had been laying low for weeks planning his move. All the while, he and Sonny had been on the watch thinking that they were in for another attack on the warehouses or something of that nature. It had never once occurred to them that the Ruiz family had some new enemies in town.

But in retrospect, it made so much sense. He had been the one to push Manny from the roof but the fall wasn't fatal. Manny didn't die outside General Hospital; he died inside its four walls under the watch of three talented medical personnel who had been able to do nothing for him. As much as the team of Corinthos and Morgan was hated by the Ruiz family, the two doctors and the OR nurse had also made the hit list. It didn't help that Robin was like a little sister to Sonny and that he and Elizabeth had been inching closer to each other for months now.

And that was the funniest part about it: the Ruiz family had completely ignored the most powerful crime syndicate in the Tri-State area and instead gone after three white-collar unknowns in the safety of their own home turf. Elizabeth, Patrick and Robin would all have been doing their jobs when the bomb detonated inside General Hospital, and that would have been the end of that.

Emily had been the one to tell him a year ago that Elizabeth had successfully completed nursing school and was entering the hallowed halls of General Hospital not as a volunteer but as a certified nurse. Her grandmother's death two years ago had been what prompted the brunette's change of heart and the senior members of the staff had accepted Steven Hardy's youngest grandchild warmly since her first day on the job.

He remembered thinking that day that it was good that Elizabeth was entering the profession; it was clean and safe and came with a certain amount of respectability. She wouldn't be a starving artist; she wouldn't be a lowly waitress at a tiny diner; she wouldn't be getting herself into trouble anymore as she somehow always did in her younger years. She was a nurse: she was protected in the same hospital where she protected the lives of uncountable patients.

It had never once occurred to him that the danger might still follow her; that his enemies might still find a way in no matter how removed the two were from each other personally and professionally.

She had faced tonight what he had faced time and time again: the ghost of a conquered enemy, the vengeance of a family member, and the prospect of a sure death. She had faced it and she had beaten it along with Patrick, and it was still something he couldn't fully wrap his head around.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Jason scrubbed a hand over his face. Closing the hand into a loosely clenched fist, he forced himself to turn and slowly advanced toward her bedroom door. The shower had already been turned off and when he turned the knob and gently opened the door, he wasn't surprised to see that the room was still plunged in darkness.

She sat on the bed with a fluffy pink towel wrapped around her flushed skin. It looked like she had scrubbed herself raw, but he didn't blame her for wanting to remove the last traces of grime and dust from the blast.

Her hair was wet and spilled past her narrow pink shoulders. She hadn't made any move to gather it up into a twist or ponytail; instead, her gaze remained trained on bare toes as she rubbed them in the carpet, back and forth, back and forth. The quiet rustling was the only noise in the ominously still apartment.

His heart began to pound in his tight chest as Jason forced himself to move forward, his motorcycle boots leaving distinct footprints in the thick carpet. The trail ended at her feet where the enforcer quietly knelt, lifting one hand to sweep the wet hair away from her flushed cheeks.

She broke out of her dazed stupor and looked at him then. Electricity crackled between them the minute his arresting blue eyes met her bright, liquid sapphire ones, but Elizabeth didn't say a word.

Jason cleared his throat, not prepared to withdraw his hand from her petal-soft skin. "Elizabeth, is there anything you need-"

She shook her head, wincing slightly, and immediately pressed a finger to his lips to silence him. Ever since the bomb had detonated, her ears were ringing. The ringing had since subsided to a dull roar, but it was still rather distracting.

Not as distracting, however, as the feeling of his warm lips under the pad of her index finger. The brunette's brows furrowed as she let it linger there, surprised by her own refusal to pull her hand away.

Jason didn't say anything; he continued to stare up at her with wide, alert eyes. Hesitantly, Elizabeth feathered the pad of her finger over the edge of his lips, pausing slightly on his bottom lip when she thought she saw his eyes darken.

Just when she was about to pull her fingers away, he surprised her by pressing a kiss to her fingertip. Her eyes widened but she soon got over it, slowly moving her hand until she was able to cup his rough cheek. Jason swallowed roughly and leaned in to her touch, his sandy lashes fluttering when she swept her thumb across his skin.

Elizabeth let out a shaky breath and slowly skimmed her hand down his neck to the shoulder. She lifted her other, settling it on the collar of his leather jacket as he rose on his knees, lifting himself closer to her. She bit her lip and then her fingers tightened around the collar as she gripped it, slowly pushing it down his broad shoulders.

He shrugged, helping her, and the heavy leather soon hit the floor. Her breath shook with anticipation as he brought himself closer to her, so close that their noses bumped as Jason inched toward her mouth. The brunette's eyes were already closed by the time his lips finally brushed hers, and she cradled his head gently between her hands to keep him close.

Jason swept his tongue boldly over her ripe lips, wondering if she'd grant him entrance for the night. His surprise instantly gave way to eagerness when she obliged, parting her lips to let his tongue slither in.

Her hands moved to his shirt, grasping the navy cotton with her fists as she tried to pull it out of his jeans. Jason wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, letting her know in no uncertain terms that there was no need to rush. He'd take good care of her tonight.

She whimpered against his mouth, her fingers now threading through his thick, sandy hair. Jason moved forward as she moved back, her knees bumping against his strong thighs as she scooted up the bed. He followed, denting the mattress with his weight as his mouth remained fused to hers.

His clunky, scuffed boots hit the floor with a thud as Elizabeth's back hit the sheets. Her hands were back in his shirt now, pushing the deep navy cotton up so that she could press her hands against his heated skin.

Jason growled when her fingers skittered over his abdomen before she pressed her palms flat to his chest. His own hand was tangled in her wet hair as he angled her head back, seeking the deepest entrance possible into the sweet recesses of her mouth.

Her nails raked against his skin and Jason finally obliged the eager brunette by pulling away long enough for her to whisk his shirt over his head. It fell to the floor on top of her terrycloth slippers, instantly forgotten. His rough palms skimmed her sides through the pink towel, leaving blazing trails of fire in their wake as his lips moved to her neck and lower still to her collarbone.

She arched her back up off the bed, her breasts flattening against his hard chest, when he hit the right spot. Her skittish fingers now moved lower as he caressed her thigh underneath the towel and fell to the waistband of his jeans.

Jason wasn't prepared for how quickly she managed to undo his zipper and reach inside; he was still marking her neck when he felt a cool rush of air and the next thing he knew, her small hand was intimately wrapped around his rigid shaft.

He groaned aloud, his hand now fisted in her towel, but Elizabeth didn't consider the torture she was putting him through. The brunette pumped him gently, fascinated by the feel of raw, pulsing, velvet steel in her hand. She pecked his chin when he cursed and then lightly raked her nails over him.

Jason was a panting, trembling mess by the time she ceased her exquisite torture and the towel was yanked off the instant he caught his breath. Her flushed, lithe body lay exposed in all its nude glory underneath him and he instantly set his sights on her pert breasts, capturing the rosy tip with his lips.

Her soft cries filled the dark bedroom as he pinched the peak between his lips, then laved it with his tongue. Without stopping his forcefully tender ministrations, Jason reached down and shoved his jeans down his lean hips, taking the boxers with them. He kicked the cumbersome denim away and moved over her.

Elizabeth's fingers speared through his hair as she squirmed underneath him, reaching unexpectedly for her bedside table. Jason kissed her ear while skimming a feather-soft path down from her breasts to her navel while she tried to get the drawer open and the next thing he knew, she had pulled out a box of condoms and slapped a couple down on the sheets next to him.

Amused, he took one and quickly ripped it open. She moved restlessly while he sheathed himself, then grasped his shoulders when she knew they were ready. Jason's intense cerulean eyes connected with her dark sapphire ones and he swiftly thrust into her. Her pupils flared, nearly eclipsing the midnight blue irises, and her clipped nails bit into his shoulders.

Elizabeth let out a low moan when he pulled out only to drive himself back in, and began to lift her hips in time with him. Jason's thrusts were smooth and deep, in perfect sync with her own internal rhythm. He moved confidently but gently, not wanting to hurt or alarm her. She was small enough as it was, and a tight fit at that, and he wanted to make sure he did right by her tonight.

He must have been doing all right because she came not moments later with his soft name on her lips and Jason finished up right after her. The back of her hand fell against his naked, sweaty chest as Elizabeth gasped for breath next to him. The cool night breeze hit their damp bodies as they both lay naked on top of the sheets, trying to float back down after the intense bout.

Every nerve in his body was tingling with awareness and energy and Jason could hardly believe his luck. He hadn't intended to sleep with her tonight but he knew that fighting it would have been as painful and futile as fighting against his next breath. She had needed him and in his own way, he had needed her for a long time. And that was why when she reached for him in the darkness again, he immediately pushed himself up off the mattress and sought her out faithfully, tenderly, reciprocating her every move and desire in every way he knew how.

* * *

Two days had passed since the explosion and the repair crews still floated around the fourth floor of General Hospital as Patrick and Elizabeth stepped off neighboring elevators. Alan had been against their quick return and wanted to give them at least the rest of the week off, but neither the doctor or the nurse were prepared to stay home that long with nothing to do but dwell on the fatal what-ifs.

A smirk tugged on Elizabeth's lips when she glanced to her right and found her friend looking right back at her. The smirk turned into a full-fledged grin as they rounded the corner toward the nurse's station, doing their best to acknowledge the scattered rounds of applause with quiet, bashful dignity.

Patrick slipped behind the counter right after her, adjusting his white coat with his one good wrist as Elizabeth reached for the morning's charts that Epiphany had left out.

"Good morning, Doctor Drake."

"_Great_ morning, Nurse Webber," he grinned back, standing next to her and jostling her with his elbow. "You couldn't sit around at home, either, huh?"

"There wasn't anything good on television," she feigned, her smile growing when his eyes gleamed knowingly. "What can I say?"

"You don't need to say anything to me," he replied, flipping through the binder she passed his way. "There was nothing to do at my place but watch Robin's _Sex and the City_ DVDs and try to disconnect the damn telephone."

"Her mom calling from Istanbul to check up on you?"

"Worse," Patrick replied with a sour frown. "Her dad."

"Hey, that's good – Robert likes you."

"I think he likes me too much – every time he called to ask me how I was doing since the last time he called fifty-five minutes ago, I swear I could hear him stifling questions about china patterns and grandchildren."

Elizabeth laughed aloud at that, waving at Amy Vining as the senior nurse hurried by. "Oh, come on, you know that's not it."

"What else could prompt the Super-Spy to check in on me like Florence Nightingale and Big Brother's love child?"

"He feels closer to you now."

"…Should Robin be threatened?"

The brunette rolled her eyes and smacked his shoulder, moving behind him to forward an incoming call to the third floor. "No. I just mean that he might feel like he's getting a chance to bond with you a bit now. Think about it – Super Spy and Dr. Feel Good. You two were never able to trade stories about battle scars before. But now…you've got a major one under your belt."

"Dirty."

"Shut up. Who knows? Maybe Robin's dad's just proud that his little girl's man can stay cool in a really tight spot. You just might have impressed the most daunting potential father-in-law on the planet, you know."

To her surprise, Patrick actually considered that without instantly lashing out at her for the father-in-law bit. "That…kinda makes sense. And it's kinda cool, I guess. All I know, though, is that it got pretty bad having to take a call from him every hour and shooting the breeze when I knew he was probably trying to, like, disarm a bomb with the other hand and save a village of women and children and puppies or something."

"Well, better get used to it," she pretended to advise seriously. "You've got a new rep now – you're a doctor that lives his life on the edge."

"And you're the trusty OR nurse that's always by my side and never fails to call me on my shit," he replied with a chuckle, his dark eyes twinkling. "I'll be Dr. Feel Good and you'll be the Naughty Nurse. Ooh, you know, I actually like that…"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to smack him in the stomach. "…You know, it's kind of funny. I never thought that being a nurse would be more dangerous than being the wife of a drug-addict cop or the girlfriend of a mob enforcer – an alleged mob enforcer."

Patrick smiled at her quick add-on, the mischievous light in his eyes dimming. "Yeah, I know what you mean. There were only two things in my life when I got out of school: medicine and racing. Everyone was always riding my case about giving racing up because it was so dangerous and because medicine was so safe…"

"Yeah, that worked out well," Elizabeth snorted. "They don't teach you about family blood vows in the underworld at medical school."

"…But you know, it's kind of a rush all the same," Patrick continued hesitantly, glancing over at the nurse to gauge her reaction. "It could have been really bad, but it wasn't. We came out all right, didn't we?"

Her dark eyes twinkled with amusement as she quirked a brow at him. "Did we?"

"Oh, yeah," the doctor nodded, wiggling his eyebrows at her with renewed mischief in his smile. "…I definitely got laid last night. I have a _very_ creative girlfriend, I'll tell you that much."

Elizabeth laughed along, tossing him a wink as she moved toward the lone computer. "…Me, too."

"You have a creative girlfriend?" Patrick was still laughing when he received a shot in the arm. "Fine – you've got a creative mob enforcer."

"Alleged."

"- A creative _alleged_ mob enforcer," he corrected, grinning cheekily at her when a heated blush stole across her cheeks. "So much for just being friends, huh?"

**The End.**


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